Lock mechanism



June 16, 1964 E. M. NAVARRO 3,137,156

LOCK MECHANISM Filed March 13, 1962 FIG. 2

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FIG. 6 2o INVENTOR. Fl 6 5 EUGEA/EMJVAI/APRO A TTOENEY United state .P t 'o,

3,137,156 LOCK MECHANISM New York, NY. Filed Mar. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 179,839

1 Claim. (Cl. 70-364) My invention is an improvement in lock mechanism, comprising a rotatable barrel containing tumblers, and having a slot for a key to retract the tumblers when the lock is to be turned.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a lock mechanism having a novel design of tumblers, in a barrel or plug rotatably disposed in a casing that is to be engaged by the tumblers, to hold the barrel fast until it is released by retraction of the tumblers when the proper key is inserted; the inner end of the barrel being connected to a bolt for securing and releasing a door or window or thelike.

' vention however is notlimited to the exact structure herein set forth, but alterations in size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made without omitting or changing any of the important characteristics in which the invention resides.

On the drawings: FIGURE 1 is a cross-section of a casing with a barrel containing the tumblers of this invention; rotatably mounted in said casing.

FIGURE 2 shows diagrammatically how the barrel Will actuate a bolt to close the lock and open" it according to the direction in which the barrel is rotated.

::FIGURE 3 is a side view of a key for actuating the tumblers in the barrel 2, and for-turning the barrel to move the bolt, with an indication of tumblers to be operated. FIGURES 4, and 6 show forms of tumblers of slightly different outline but having the same general shape shown in FIGURE 1; and

' FIGURE 7 is a front view of another type of tumbler. Referring now to the drawings, I indicate the casing of the lock at 1, this casing, for example, being cylindrical,

open at both ends, and secured to the door o r window for which the lock is intended. Inside the casing is a round rotatable tumbler barrel 2,'that has a transverse recess 3 extending entirely through it in the direction of a diameter, and this recess is intended to register with a cavity 4'on the inside'of the casing 1. The barrel 2 may have several such recesses disposed at separate pointsin athe length thereof,"and"in each such recess there will be .a tumbler 5 movable therein to be projected at one end "into the cavity 4, which'will be in line with each tumbler,

and be withdrawn therefrom."

; Each tumbler 5 has a projection 6 adjacent the end that is to enter the cavity 4 in the same transverse plane as the tumbler, and this projection is pressed against by a spring 7 in a groove 6a at one side of the recess 3 bearing the tumbler. This groove terminates in a shoulder 6b against which the other end of the spring 7 seats. Hence whenever the recess 3 in the barrel 2 registers with the cavity 4, the springs 7 will impel each tumbler 5 so that the end adjacent the projection 6 will enter the cavity 4. Then the barrel 2 is held against rotation but when each r 3,137,156 Patented June 16, 1964 tumbler is withdrawn from the cavity, the barrel 2 can be turned. I

At one end of the barrel is a boss 8 which enters a transverse slot 9 in a bolt 10. This bolt 10 is of course mounted to move across the end of the barrel 2; and when the barrel turns in the right direction, the bolt will be projected into a striker plate at one end to hold the door or window shut. The tumblers 5 then are all in the cavity Likewise when the tumblers are withdrawn by a key, the barrel can be rotated, so that the projection 8 will retract the bolt 10. 1

Each tumbler as shown in FIGURES 1, 4, 5 and 6 has an inverted U-shape, with its closed end presented to the adjacent cavity 4 and projecting in the opposite direction from the closed end. Each tumbler thus has separated parallel legs 11. In FIGURE 1 the tumbler 5 is shown as having a protruberance 16 at its inner edge, the proper distance from the inner edge of the closed ,end 17. of the tumbler; and this protruberance 16 will be engaged so as to withdraw the tumbler by the key shown in FIGURE 3. By means of this view, the operation of the lock can be readily understood.

In FIGURE 3, the key is shown to have a groove or slot 12 in one side and grooves 12' and 12" in the other side; and the arrangementand positions of these slots can of course be varied. The slot 12 is shown as the longest and is above the other two, and it has a dip at its inner end, presenting a small depression at the lower edge and a corresponding projection 13 over the depression. This slot will engage the protuberance 16 of the nearest tumbler 5, and when the key is fully inserted in the tumbler barrel, it will retract the tumbler by the action of the projection 13. The tumblers 5 according to .thenumber used will lie in the barrel 2 between the inner end thereof adjacent the bolt 10, and the otheror outer end of the barrel into which the key is pushed. This tumbler inFIG. will of course be adjacent the outer end of the barrel 2, and the projection 16 can be on the right leg instead of the left leg, as is shown in FIGURE 1, if desired.

Other tumblers in the barrel 2 will be nearer to the backof the lock, adjacent the bolt 10, and will have their projections 16, for example, on their other legs at the left, and in lower or higher positions. These projections will enter the slots 12 and 12" respectively; and

will accordingly be retracted by the projections 13' and 13" respectively. The projections 13, 1-3' and 13" will of course be such at points that the tumblers will all be retracted when the key is fully inserted'in the key slot 3. .The projections 16 may be variously located on the inner edges of the legs 11 of the separate tumblers; or they. could all be at the same distance from the end 17. If all are on a single leg, then a single slot 12, with three 'properly located projections 13 could withdraw all the tumblers as said slot brings all the projections 13 in the slot 12 into engagement with the projections 16. In the case the tumblers are of such formation (FIG- ,URE- 7) as tobe closed at both ends, as shown at 17 and 17', the key may have projections 15a to engage the ends 17.; these projections being along the lower edge so spaced as to cooperate with the projections 13, 13' and,

13", as well as the projections 15a, so as to give clearance to the top ends 17 of the tumblers when the key is lthus dropped or lost.

fully inserted to retract the tumblers in unison from the cylinder. 7

Of course, when the lock mechanism is in proper position, each tumbler will be impelled by its, spring 7 abutting the shoulder 6 at the upper end of the groove 6a, into a cavity 4, and the protuberance 16 of each tumbler will be above the lower edge 18' of the key slot, which of course passes axially through the barrel 2 from one end to the other, so that the key can engage all the various tumblers at once. When the key is fully inserted, the serrations in the upper edge of the key comprising the notches 15 will have the inner edges of the closed ends 17 of the tumblers in line with the notches 15; and the projections 13, 13 and 13" along the top edge of the slots in the key will be in engagement with the protuberances 16; and then the various tumblers can be pulled down against the force of the springs '7. The closed ends 17 of the tumblers will then clear the various cavities 4 and the barrel 2 can be turned. The key slot in the barrel 2 is indicated at 18 in FIGURE 1 and its lower edge is indicated at 18', the key and slot being of the same thickness. 7

I have found it desirable to make the barrel 2 and the tumblers 5, so that when the tumblers are once inserted inside the spaces 3 and the projections 6 engage the springs 7, the tumblers cannot be forced out ofthe passages and I therefore provide in one side of each passage 3 a small projection or stud 22 and the adjacent edge of the leg 11 in proximity to this projection will have a protuberance 20. Each tumbler 5 can be pushed into its passage Sthrough the end shown as the upper end in FIGURE 1, and allowed to protrude a bit from said end of the passage 3, so that the projection 6 will permit the spring 7 to be inserted into the channel 6a under the lug 6. The leg with the protuberance will be somewhat elastic to enable the protuberance 20 to clear the stop 21, and then spring outward. Then in case the spring should ever project the tumbler too far out the protuberance 20 will be engaged by the small projection 22 so that displacement of the tumbler from the passage 3 will be prevented. This operation is very convenient when the barrel and tumblers are assembled before the barrel is inserted into the casing.

The projections 22 for engaging the tumblers and holding them in place in the barrel 4, may be a screw or peg 22 inserted through a bore in the side of the barrel 2, with its inner end protruding just beyond each projection after the tumbler is disposed in the barrel 2, so that the tumbler cannot be displaced when the barrel is not in the cylinder 4. 7 v

In practice, the tumblers need not beso wide as shown in FIGURES 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and the legs may be closer to each other. The key slot through the barrel will be of the same width as the thickness of the key. In the drawings the tumblers are shown with the space 11a between the legs of great width but in practice other and more suitable dimensions can be adopted.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 show tumblers 5a, 5b, and 5c of other shapes but of the same general outline as the tumbler shown in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 4 the tumbler has the protuberance 16 on the inner edge of the other leg as in FIGURE 3, and the position of the projection 20 is unchanged. FIGURE 5 shows a tumbler with a projection 16 in proper position on the same leg as FIG- URE 1, and a recess 22' in the same leg that has. the protuberance 16 to receive a stop" such as shown at 22 in FIGURE 1, but on the other edge thereof; andthe just below. the shoulder 6b.

In FIGURE 6 the tumbler 5c is shown with the two legs 11 as before and a protuberance 20 on the outer edge of the same leg as in FIGURE 1 for cooperation with the stud 22. On the inside of the other leg is a protuberanee 23 of somewhat ditferent shape, the outer edge of this protuberance being straight, and this protuberance will be of course in such position on each tumbler that it can be operated by a key such as illustrated 'in FIGURE 3. The projections 16 may have different shapes as may be desired. a

When a tumbler is impelled by the spring 7 into the cavity 4, the inner edge of the tumbler along the closed end 17 will coincide with the top of the keyhole or slot -18,'which extends axially in the barrel 2; see the dash lines in FIGURE 1; also the protuberance 16 will then be abovethe lower edge 18 of the key slot. This key slot will be as high as the width of the key shown in FIGURE 3 from the upper to the lower edge; and when .the key is inserted, the top edge willbe close to the top of the key slot and the lower edge will be on the bottom 13 of this slot. Each protuberance 16 will be above the edge 18 and can be received in the proper groove of the key when the key is pushed in. The indentations 15 match the projections 13, 13' and 13" in size, shape and position, and when the projections begin to press downward on the protuberance 16, each of thenotches 15 will come under the inner edge of the closed end 17 of the tumbler, so that the tumblers can be withdrawn from the cavity 4 against the force of the springs 7.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is: I I

Ina lock mechanism having a hollow casing enclosing a rotatable barrel, the casing having an internal cavity therein facing said barrel, the barrel having a transverse passage therethrough to align with said cavity, a U-shaped tumbler in said passage with a closed end presented to said cavity, a spring carried by said barrel engaging said tumbler and tending to impel the tumbler into engagement with the cavity, said tumbler having separated legs at each side extending away from said closed end and said cavity, one of said legs having a protuberance on its inner edge, the barrel having a key slot extending axially through it, adjacent the closed end of the tumbler, and a key having a notch in one edge to engage the inner edge along the closed end of the tumbler and a groove with a projection on one edge in one face to engage the protuberance, when the notch is in registry with the edge along the closed end of the tumbler, said notch and said projection being of such size and shape as to permit the closed end of the tumbler to be withdrawn from the cavity and the inner edge along the closed end to project into the notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

